Part I “It’s an American Eskimo,” Ray said with a big smile as he showed his daughter the new puppy he had just bought. “I know Dad, that’s what Sugar was, the dog I had growing up, I know all about that dog.” Ray’s expression turned blank, as his daughter realized that Ray no longer [...]
“I never lived so well,” said Grace as dinner was served in her assisted living facility. Fortunately, there are some elderly who feel this way. But they seem to be the in the minority, the vast majority of the elderly have signs of malnutrition for a variety or reasons. As people age, the risk of [...]
ELDERLY CHRISTIANS WITH ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE STILL HAVE EXACTLY THE ABILITIES THEY NEED TO PARTICIPATE AT CHURCH Carl, an elderly member of the congregation for 92 years, is no longer attending because of behaviors related to his dementia. Just when he and his family need the support of their church family the most, someone thinks [...]
Bertha had been so sure she was ready to “go home.” Why anyone could see she had lost a considerable amount of weight since being in the nursing home. Even her doctor was calling the changes in her nothing short of amazing. Bertha had come to the nursing home from the hospital following a fall [...]
(Part II) In the past when an elderly person experienced changes in behavior or increased confusion, the health care community collectively thought that this was normal; after all you’re getting old. How many times has a doctor said to a family member “What do you expect at his age, he’s getting old.” Addressing the behavior [...]
(PART III) Louise could just as easily have developed Shingles after her emotional stress. (See part I) All of the potential was there. Louise had had Chickenpox as a child. Only people who have had Chickenpox get shingles, as it is the same virus. After having Chickenpox the virus lies dormant in your nervous system, [...]
Carl never really studied art, but that doesn’t hold him back these days from painting. Sometimes he paints for hours, over and over on the same tree, grass, sky or clouds. He is so engrossed that he rarely speaks and forgets to eat as well. His wife Barb just interrupts with the suggestion of a [...]
Helping the confused elderly through cues. Oxford Dictionary defines cue as” a signal to do something.” The cue may be a smell, a touch, a sound, an item, or a visual symbol. Using a full complement of cues through out the day can help the confused elderly understand the environment, and what is happening at [...]
When you are taking care of an elder with dementia you have to adjust and re-adjust constantly. You are the one who needs to be flexible. What the elder is able to do and understand today might be very different from how they functioned yesterday. This is true of the skills needed to dress and [...]
Is it now standard practice that you move into a nursing home, you are immediately assigned a wheelchair? When you visit a nursing home, how many elderly people do you see still walking? It may start on admission, where the wheelchair just seems to come with your room. Or it may begin when you are [...]
EQUIPMENT: Elder’s personal soap Incontinent product/underwear Deodorant Comb/brush Electric razor/straight razor Clothes Elder’s personal lotion Shoes Personal items – watch / hair assessories/jewellery SET-UP: Two wash cloths – one to soap and one to rinse Towels Anti-slip mat Run water until it is warm, plug sink – continue to run small amount of warm water [...]
ACT – Do not over react – a physically aggressive or combative elder is a frightened elder. Remain Calm- The elder has usually shown signs of aggression before they have started to strike out. Be alert – the care giver knows their elder. Look for signs of restlessness, agitation. Be prepared Size up the [...]
Results of Laxative abuse in the elderly. Many elders abuse laxatives without realizing their regular use is abusive. The elder may be under the assumption that in order to be “regular” they must have a bowel movement every day. Regular use of laxatives makes the intestinal muscles flabby or referred to as a “Lazy bowel.” [...]
Dear Virginia, I have been enjoying reading the wonderful book you gave me. You are right though. I do have to put it down from time to time and read something different. I find that I have to literally digest each chapter and think about it for awhile before reading further. I have been discussing [...]
Know the elders routine. Do you drink your coffee first thing in the morning or with breakfast? Do you get dressed before breakfast or after? There is so much comfort in having your own routine, doing things the same way at the same time. Everyone has an established routine. You like to do things in [...]
Make the mealtime experience as simple as possible for the caregiver as well as the elder with dementia. The activity of eating is the most important activity of the day. And it is certainly true that when cooking, everyone can be right “in the moment” with the person with Alzheimer’s disease. So cooking and eating [...]
When all is said and done, the best prevention always turns out to be good old soap and water. Whether it is for washing hands or surfaces, soap and water still are the best. Hand washing: First line of defense! Every time we have an in-service at our Nursing Home, on preventing infection, we always [...]
No more 911 calls from confused elderly: I absolutely love my new edition of The Alzheimer’s Store Catalogue. As I skim through it I can see, in my mind, those people from the past that would have benefited so much from some of these innovative products. Right from the first few pages – imagine a [...]
The goal in the nursing home is to never use side rails as a restraint, or to keep someone in bed. There are only a few times in a nursing home that they will give an elder side rails: One side rail when the elder is in bed to give the elder something to hold [...]
Many times an elderly person will intentionally stop drinking water, because they don’t want to make so many trips to the bathroom. They just get in the habit of never drinking more than a sip. The elder may already be dehydrated and not even notice they are thirsty. 12 Reasons everyone needs water: Water is [...]
(Part II) In the past when an elderly person experienced changes in behavior or increased confusion, the health care community collectively thought that this was normal; after all you’re getting old. How many times has a doctor said to a family member “What do you expect at his age, he’s getting old.” Addressing the behavior [...]
Bertha had been so sure she was ready to “go home.” Why anyone could see she had lost a considerable amount of weight since being in the nursing home. Even her doctor was calling the changes in her nothing short of amazing. Bertha had come to the nursing home from the hospital following a fall [...]
(Part V) It is never too late for a Therapy base line assessment. If it wasn’t done at the start of symptoms, it can be done now. As with every other discipline in the Nursing Home, the key here is a “change in condition.” If you have not written down what the current level of; [...]
Everyone’s name is important to them. There can be power in a name. There is power in the name “Jesus”. I remember when it was in the news that Elvis was in a concert and a row of girls held up a banner saying “Elvis is King.” Elvis stopped the concert and said “No, Jesus [...]
Nurses know when the elderly person no longer moves independently, they will need to be extra vigilant in their skin care. Nurses know: Preventing wounds is much easier than healing them An elderly person can develop a pressure wound in 2-6 hours of not changing position A pressure wound is painful Healing a pressure wound [...]
“Help, help, I can’t get up,” Vera called out to her sleeping husband. Vera was used to waking up around 3 a.m. and reading for an hour before going back to bed. But that night after sitting for an hour at the kitchen table, when Vera tried to stand up to walk back to bed [...]
When continuing treatment is pointless, who determines it is time to stop? Arlene was 87 years old and had suffered significant decline in the past year cognitively as well as functionally. But the last four months had been nothing short of a nightmare. Arlene was in a house fire and sustained burns over 50% of [...]
Aging vision needs much more light: “Why are you turning the lights on already” Carl’s wife asked. “Oh, it’s going to get dark soon” He replied. This from the man who went behind her for years turning off lights when she just stepped out of a room for a minute. He wasn’t even aware of [...]
